MAD and ROBOT CHICKEN's Kevin Shinick to be Inducted Into 501st Legion at Meltdown, 2/27

Kevin Shinick, creator and main voice talent for MAD, the hit Warner Bros. comedy series airing on Cartoon Network, will be inducted into the legendary 501st Legion on Wednesday, February 27, at Meltdown Comics at 7:00 PM.

Shinick earned an Emmy Award and three Annie Awards for his work as a writer/producer and voice talent on ROBOT CHICKEN, including a third this month for 2012's ROBOT CHICKEN: DC COMICS SPECIAL. Shinick has written comics for both Marvel and DC, and is also an actor with recent appearances on GRIMM and David E. Kelley's MONDAY MORNINGS.

Shinick will be inducted into the legendary 501st Legion for his work on the ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS specials and for his numerous MAD: STAR WARS parodies, including STAR WARS EARNED STRIPES, the reality series spoof that's part of MAD's upcoming season three finale airing Monday, March 4th at 8 pm on Cartoon Network.

The Legion seeks to promote interest in STAR WARS through the building and wearing of quality costumes, and to facilitate the use of these costumes for STAR WARS-related events as well as contributions to the local community through costumed charity and volunteer work. Meltdown Comics is located at 7522 Sunset Blvd Los Angeles, Calif., (323) 851-7223.

Shinick proudly proclaims, "My happy place was definitely sitting in my room with a pile of comic books or in a darkened movie theatre watching films like STAR WARS," and his early ambition led him to become a talented actor, writer/producer and showrunner who also creates his own projects and writes comic books. He starred in a slew of Broadway shows (thanks to his mentor, the late Tony Randall). He wrote the first SPIDER-MAN stage production that was a hit at Radio City Music Hall and subsequent sold-out 40-city tour.

In 2012, he was Emmy -nominated in the same category he'd previously won but this time, for his own show, MAD. Shinick competed against himself at this month's Annie Awards for both MAD and the RCDC, winning for the latter. Last fall, Shinick penned a two-issue arc of Avenging Spider-Man for Marvel comics. His humorous spin on the super hero featured Deadpool and the Hypno Hustler was a hit with both critics and fans. Shinick also spent two season as the host of PBS' Emmy-winning series, WHERE IN TIME IS CARMEN SANDIEGO?, a time traveling sci-fi quiz show that landed Shinick in teen magazines, onto trading cards and into his own action figure.

Now, the legendary 501st Legion inducts Shinick into their ranks. According to the 501st, "In appreciation of your contributions to the STAR WARS legacy, Kevin Shinick is welcomed as a honorary friend of 501st Legion fan organization. The Legion is an all-volunteer organization formed for the express purpose of bringing together costume enthusiasts under a collective identity within which to operate.